Pneumonia: Often Causes Tightness/Shrinking Of The Mechanical Breathing System.

Patients who survive pneumonia may have something to worry about after leaving the hospital. UDB  may be one of them as pneumonia often causes tightness/shrinking of the mechanical breathing system.

A new study shows surviving pneumonia may mean just a short-term lease on a so-called healthy life, but it depends on the patient. Results of the study show increasing age combined with cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, an altered mental state, and anemia were significant and independent predictors of death in the two to three years after being hospitalized for pneumonia. In addition, patients with poorly controlled diabetes and a hematocrit (ratio of the volume of packed red blood cells to the volume of whole blood) of less than 35 percent were significant predictors of death. Researchers also observed a higher risk of early death among patients 41 to 60 years old who had no observable accompanying diseases. Investigators examined the survival of 386 community-acquired pneumonia patients who were hospitalized at Methodist Healthcare in Memphis Hospital in Tennessee. After discharge, 125 patients died.  

Community-acquired pneumonia (what you catch from others) is common and a major cause of death in most Western countries, including the United States. Risk factors for acquiring the disease include increasing age and co-morbid illnesses, such as cardiac failure, diabetes, neoplasia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, physicians find nothing they see as a cause in some patients  SOURCE: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2004;169:910-914 

If you have pneumonia you are foolish to try to handle it by yourself because it often hinders clear thinking and you may even know what to do but not remember it. See your health professional and make sure you develop your breathing. Offsetting damage done by pneumonia requires a holistic approach